Key Largo Snorkeling GuideThere are a handful of good Key Largo snorkeling spots. Overall it is much better than the Key West area. But generally there are more spectacular snorkel spots in the Keys between Key Largo and Key West. Take note though, if you look at our snorkeling map below you will see that pretty much all the best snorkeling spots are not actually within the park boundaries. Most of the popular Key Largo snorkeling reefs are just outside the park boundaries and are in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary that protects most of the waters within the Florida Keys. 
Why mention this? Because most people take snorkel boat trips that leave from within the park. But there are lots of other options to take trips with snorkel companies stationed close by outside the park. And they all go to the same places, all outside the park. And from our experience the boat trips from within Pennekamp are very crowded, and we have witnessed them running trips in wind and wave conditions that are not enjoyable for snorkeling (weather conditions in which the other companies did not run). We talked with passengers returning from one of these trips and they said that while it was still fun, it was pretty miserable snorkeling.
So do explore John Pennekamp State Park, but we generally recommend you take a snorkel tour with a company outside the park. Click here for more pictures and info about snorkeling John Pennekamp State Park. You have lots of options for snorkel boat trips at Key Largo. It is a very popular activity there. You can go on snorkelers only trips that leave from harbors in Key Largo or nearby docks. You can also get on boats that mix snorkelers and divers. But we would recommend that whenever possible, get on a boat that is snorkeling only. You can also book a private snorkeling charter in Key Largo which is a great option. You get to visit great snorkel spots the other companies don't visit, and you can do it with your own group. We did this to visit Sea Gardens and had a great time.
Well, unfortunately we have not been able to snorkel as many spots in Key Largo as we would like because we had a solid week of 15 to 20 knots winds when we were there. Bummer! So we only were able to get out to a couple of spots. The good news is that we get to go back! But we will share what we learned about where to snorkel below.
All of the best snorkeling has to be reached by boat. So you either bring yours, or you go with a company. You can snorkel from the beach in John Pennekamp, and you will see a few fish, but you won't see any corals, and it does not compare in any way to visiting the offshore reefs.
When you explore the snorkel spots below keep in mind one funny thing about pretty much all the boat companies in Key Largo. They don't seem to want to tell you specifically where they are taking you. They almost all say "the captain will select the best location depending on the conditions". But if you are like us and take a lot of snorkel trips, you kind of want to know, so that you are not going back to the same places. We found it helpful to try and talk to the actual captain of the boat. They tended to be more straight forward about their day's destination than the desk folks.Key Largo Snorkeling Spots
Grecian Rocks While not at all great, snorkeling Grecian Rocks is pretty much what every company does when it is windy. Click here to read more about snorkeling Grecian Rocks and to see pictures.
Molasses Reef This is one of the most visited coral reefs in the world, and for good reason. If you get a chance, this should be on the top of our list for Key Largo snorkel spots, if the weather is calm. Click here to read more about snorkeling Molasses Reef.
Dry Rocks & Christ of the Abyss Another of the most visited spots in the Keys. There is a 9 foot tall bronze statue of Christ planted on the ocean floor. It is pretty interesting to see, although a bit deep for snorkelers to appreciate as much as divers. And Dry Rocks is a good snorkeling spot that is most often combined as a second location along with the Christ of the Abyss. For some reason almost all the boat companies go out to this area in the afternoons only. Click here to read more about snorkeling Dry Rocks & Christ of the Abyss.
White Banks This is another favorite snorkeling spot, particularly of the bigger catamaran snorkel boat companies leaving from Key Largo. Click here to read more about snorkeling White Banks. Sea Gardens This was a wonderful snorkeling spot that had the healthiest patch of huge soft corals we have ever seen anywhere. Click here to read more about snorkeling Sea Gardens and to see pictures. That is it for the Key Largo Snorkeling spots. You may also find the following website usefull for your research: Another Key Largo Snorkeling Site
Other Key Largo Sites
And when in Key Largo you have the opportunity to check out the African Queen, which is the original boat from the movie named after her with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.
A final bit of humor from our trip. When we were visiting it was the beginning of the Keys 100 marathon race that starts at Key Largo and goes to Key West. Walking through our hotel we noticed that just about everyone was in incredible shape and that they must all be in the race. Just then a nun in her habit walked by and we both laughed, and said to each other "I guess not everyone". The next morning we saw this paper and realized how wrong we were.
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